Exodus, 21

1. 'These are the laws you must give them:

1. Now these [are] the judgments which thou shalt set before them.

2. 'When you buy a Hebrew slave, his service will last for six years. In the seventh year he will leave a free man without paying compensation.

2. If thou buy an Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve: and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing.

3. If he came single, he will depart single; if he came married, his wife will depart with him.

3. If he came in by himself, he shall go out by himself: if he were married, then his wife shall go out with him.

4. If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children will belong to her master, and he will depart alone.

4. If his master have given him a wife, and she have born him sons or daughters; the wife and her children shall be her master's, and he shall go out by himself.

5. But if the slave says, "I love my master and my wife and children; I do not wish to be freed,"

5. And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free:

6. then his master will bring him before God and then, leading him to the door or the doorpost, his master will pierce his ear with an awl, and the slave will be permanently his.

6. Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an aul; and he shall serve him for ever.

7. If a man sells his daughter as a slave, she will not leave as male slaves do.

7. And if a man sell his daughter to be a maidservant, she shall not go out as the menservants do.

8. If she does not please her master who intended her for himself, he must let her be bought back: he has not the right to sell her to foreigners, for this would be a breach of faith with her.

8. If she please not her master, who hath betrothed her to himself, then shall he let her be redeemed: to sell her unto a strange nation he shall have no power, seeing he hath dealt deceitfully with her.

9. If he intends her for his son, he must treat her as custom requires daughters to be treated.

9. And if he have betrothed her unto his son, he shall deal with her after the manner of daughters.

10. If he takes another wife, he must not reduce the food, clothing or conjugal rights of the first one.

10. If he take him another [wife]; her food, her raiment, and her duty of marriage, shall he not diminish.

11. Should he deprive her of these three things she will leave a free woman, without paying compensation.

11. And if he do not these three unto her, then shall she go out free without money.

12. 'Anyone who by violence causes a death must be put to death.

12. He that smiteth a man, so that he die, shall be surely put to death.

13. If, however, he has not planned to do it but it comes from God by his hand, he can take refuge in a place which I shall appoint for you.

13. And if a man lie not in wait, but God deliver [him] into his hand; then I will appoint thee a place whither he shall flee.

14. But should any person dare to kill another with deliberate planning, you will take that person even from my altar to be put to death.

14. But if a man come presumptuously upon his neighbour, to slay him with guile; thou shalt take him from mine altar, that he may die.

15. 'Anyone who strikes father or mother will be put to death.

15. And he that smiteth his father, or his mother, shall be surely put to death.

16. Anyone who abducts a person -- whether that person has since been sold or is still held -- will be put to death.

16. And he that stealeth a man, and selleth him, or if he be found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death.

17. Anyone who curses father or mother will be put to death.

17. And he that curseth his father, or his mother, shall surely be put to death.

18. 'If people quarrel and one strikes the other a blow with stone or fist so that the injured party, though not dead, is confined to bed,

18. And if men strive together, and one smite another with a stone, or with [his] fist, and he die not, but keepeth [his] bed:

19. but later recovers and can go about, even with a stick, the one who struck the blow will have no liability, other than to compensate the injured party for the enforced inactivity and to take care of the injured party until the cure is complete.

19. If he rise again, and walk abroad upon his staff, then shall he that smote [him] be quit: only he shall pay [for] the loss of his time, and shall cause [him] to be thoroughly healed.

20. 'If someone beats his slave, male or female, and the slave dies at his hands, he must pay the penalty.

20. And if a man smite his servant, or his maid, with a rod, and he die under his hand; he shall be surely punished.

21. But should the slave survive for one or two days, he will pay no penalty because the slave is his by right of purchase.

21. Notwithstanding, if he continue a day or two, he shall not be punished: for he [is] his money.

22. 'If people, when brawling, hurt a pregnant woman and she suffers a miscarriage but no further harm is done, the person responsible will pay compensation as fixed by the woman's master, paying as much as the judges decide.

22. If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart [from her], and yet no mischief follow: he shall be surely punished, according as the woman's husband will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges [determine].

23. If further harm is done, however, you will award life for life,

23. And if [any] mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life,

24. eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,

24. Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,

25. burn for burn, wound for wound, stroke for stroke.

25. Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.

26. 'If anyone strikes the eye of his slave, male or female, and destroys the use of it, he will give the slave his freedom to compensate for the eye.

26. And if a man smite the eye of his servant, or the eye of his maid, that it perish; he shall let him go free for his eye's sake.

27. If he knocks out the tooth of his slave, male or female, he will give the slave his freedom to compensate for the tooth.

27. And if he smite out his manservant's tooth, or his maidservant's tooth; he shall let him go free for his tooth's sake.

28. 'If an ox gores a man or woman to death, the ox will be stoned and its meat will not be eaten, but the owner of the ox will not be liable.

28. If an ox gore a man or a woman, that they die: then the ox shall be surely stoned, and his flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox [shall be] quit.

29. But if the ox has been in the habit of goring before, and if its owner has been warned but has not kept it under control, then should this ox kill a man or woman, it will be stoned and its owner put to death.

29. But if the ox were wont to push with his horn in time past, and it hath been testified to his owner, and he hath not kept him in, but that he hath killed a man or a woman; the ox shall be stoned, and his owner also shall be put to death.

30. If a ransom is imposed on the owner, he will pay whatever is imposed, to redeem his life.

30. If there be laid on him a sum of money, then he shall give for the ransom of his life whatsoever is laid upon him.

31. If the ox gores a boy or a girl, it will be treated in accordance with this same rule.

31. Whether he have gored a son, or have gored a daughter, according to this judgment shall it be done unto him.

32. If the ox gores a slave, male or female, its owner will pay the price -- thirty shekels -- to their master, and the ox will be stoned.

32. If the ox shall push a manservant or a maidservant; he shall give unto their master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned.

33. 'If anyone leaves a pit uncovered, or digs a pit and does not cover it, and an ox, or donkey falls into it,

33. And if a man shall open a pit, or if a man shall dig a pit, and not cover it, and an ox or an ass fall therein;

34. then the owner of the pit will make good the loss by compensating its owner, and the dead animal will be his.

34. The owner of the pit shall make [it] good, [and] give money unto the owner of them; and the dead [beast] shall be his.

35. If anyone's ox injures anyone else's ox causing its death, the owners will sell and share the money for it; they will also share the dead animal.

35. And if one man's ox hurt another's, that he die; then they shall sell the live ox, and divide the money of it; and the dead [ox] also they shall divide.

36. But if it is common knowledge that the ox has been in the habit of goring before, and its owner has not kept it under control, the owner will repay ox for ox, and will keep the dead animal.

36. Or if it be known that the ox hath used to push in time past, and his owner hath not kept him in; he shall surely pay ox for ox; and the dead shall be his own.

37. 'If anyone steals an ox or a sheep and slaughters or sells it, he will pay back five beasts from the herd for the ox, and four animals from the flock for the sheep.'

37.